Brandon and Karolina’s love story began as all good love stories do: browsing the internet with lowered inhibitions. While Brandon freely shared his name, interests, and background to start the conversation, Karolina guardedly bantered under a pseudonym “Jen” (despite having a username of KP99) so as not to give too much away too quickly. Sparks flew right from the first date. To show her spontaneity, Karolina ordered by closing her eyes and randomly choosing an item on the menu - a charming display of whimsy that she has never since repeated. The jokes and flirtation continued over dinner, so much so that neither finished their food and both needed to-go boxes - another phenomenon that has never happened since. The date continued at a holiday jazz concert at UNC where Brandon and Karolina were the youngest members of the audience by a full 30 years. Brandon schemed to find a free parking spot in a dark alley near the show, to which Karolina quipped “Is this the part of the date where you kill me?” With his original plan exposed, Brandon elected to carry on with the evening to see where things went. At the end of the date, Karolina and Brandon were truly smitten with one another and Brandon’s leftovers had conspicuously disappeared - a hotly debated mystery that endures to this day. That same week brought two more dates to the trampoline gym and ice rink & two more nails in the coffins of their single lives. A mere 6 years later, having traveled the globe, lived together, apart, then together again and exchanged countless on and off-color jokes, Brandon and Karolina realized that this relationship might be more than just a fling. At the risk of rushing into things, in January 2019 Brandon surprised Karolina with a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park culminating in a marriage proposal on Bow Bridge. After reading the proposal and negotiating scope and deliverables, Karolina agreed that it made sense for tax purposes and made Brandon the happiest man in NYC. OUR STORY CONTINUES... Eager to marry, the newly betrothed scheduled their wedding for 9/5/2020 in North Carolina where they first met. But unbeknownst to them, a wet market (or lab depending on who you believe) on the other side of the world had other plans. COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, forced a postponement and venue change but could not stop the headstrong couple from eventually having the day they imagined. To honor their original date, Brandon and Karolina hiked Mount Marcy, the tallest mountain in New York State. This turned out to be appropriately symbolic of their short-lived plan to get married in Durham because at the end of the hike they were tired, sore, still in love but right back where they started. A 1.5 year engagement turned into 4.5 and one wedding plan turned into two but the happy couple's love only grew stronger, fortified through the fires of adversity and litigation. Now you may have thought "If only they had gotten engaged a little sooner, they could have saved themselves a lot of trouble". Don't worry, this never comes up... A little older and a little wiser, Brandon and Karolina have now been together for 10.5 years. Karolina, out of pure vindictiveness as much as anything else, worked tirelessly to defeat COVID-19 by delivering the Pfizer vaccine and bringing the world back to normal. Brandon grew long hair. With all of that behind them, and with a newfound appreciation for the privilege it is to celebrate surrounded by family and friends, Brandon and Karolina enthusiastically look forward to seeing you and discovering the magic of filing jointly.